The invention relates to a dive resistant buckle.
Binding devices are employed to secure a rider to boards and other devices configured for gliding, such as snowboards, snow skis, water skis, wake boards, surf boards and the like. For purposes of this patent, xe2x80x9cgliding implementxe2x80x9d will refer generally to any of the foregoing boards as well as to other devices which allow a rider to traverse a surface.
Certain types of bindings, known as strap or tray bindings, employ elongated straps to mount a rider""s foot or boot to a gliding implement. A strap type snowboard binding, for example, includes a baseplate adapted to receive a rider""s boot and one or more straps extending across a boot receiving area for securing the boot to the binding. Typical are a toe strap and an ankle strap, each of which is formed of a toothed section, commonly referred to as a ratchet strap, and a boot engagement section that includes a buckle that engages with, and prevents inadvertent withdrawal of, the ratchet strap as the strap sections are tightened together to secure the boot in the binding.
The strap sections 20 and 22, of the prior art binding illustrated in FIG. 1, may be separated from each other to provide an opening for the rider to place his or her boot into the binding. An end of the ratchet strap 20 may be fed by hand into the buckle 24 and then may be incrementally tightened by actuating the drive lever 28. Tightening of the strap sections increases the forces acting at the point of contact between the buckle pawl 26 and the engaged tooth on the ratchet strap which are resolved on the buckle along the pin P that pivotally mounts the pawl to the buckle housing. The buckle is mounted through the housing floor to the boot engagement strap. Because the mounting hole 30 is positioned below the location of the resolved forces acting at point P on the buckle, a moment is created in the direction of the boot engagement member. The moment causes the buckle to dive or twist downward, potentially digging into the rider""s boot which may be painful particularly when the straps have been cranked down tightly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a buckle for securing a strap, or strap sections, that is resistant to diving when the components are fastened together.
In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap. The buckle includes a housing having an entrance, an exit and a floor along which the strap travels in a tightening direction from the entrance towards the exit and in a loosening direction from the exit towards the entrance. A strap engagement member is supported by the housing which prevents withdrawal of the strap in the loosening direction. When the strap sections are tightened, the forces acting on the strap engagement member and the ratchet strap are rectified on the buckle at a force resolving location. The buckle housing includes a mounting location for attaching the buckle to a surface, such as a boot or foot engagement strap when the buckle is incorporated in a boot or foot binding, that is spaced away from the floor of the buckle in the direction of the resolved location.
In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap including a U-shaped housing having a pair of sidewalls and a floor along which the strap travels in a tightening direction from an entrance portion to an exit portion and in a loosening direction from the exit portion to the entrance portion. A pawl is pivotally mounted to the sidewalls along a first axis and engages the strap to prevent movement in the loosening direction. The U-shaped housing includes a pair of mounting flanges that extend outwardly from the housing sidewalls which have respective locations for attaching the dive resistant buckle to a surface, such as a boot or foot engagement strap when the buckle is incorporated in a boot or foot binding, that are spaced away from the floor of the housing in a direction of the first axis where the pawl is pivotally mounted to the housing.
In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap including a housing having an entrance portion and an exit portion and including a floor along which the strap travels in a tightening direction from the entrance portion towards the exit portion and in a loosening direction from the exit portion towards the entrance portion. A strap engagement member is supported by the housing which prevents withdrawal of the strap from the buckle in the loosening direction. A mounting location for attaching the housing to a surface, such as a boot or foot engagement strap when the buckle is incorporated in a boot or foot binding, is selected to reduce or eliminate a moment acting on the buckle in the direction of the surface as the strap is tightened by the strap engagement member.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap. The buckle includes a housing for slidably receiving the strap. The buckle includes means for engaging and preventing movement of the strap in a loosening direction from an exit portion of the housing towards an entrance portion while allowing movement of the strap in a tightening direction from the entrance portion towards the exit portion. Means are provided for mounting the buckle to a surface, such as a boot or foot engagement strap when the buckle is incorporated in a boot or foot binding, to reduce or eliminate diving of the entrance portion of the buckle towards the surface as the strap is tightened by the engaging and preventing means.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a binding including a dive resistant buckle. The binding includes a base having a boot or foot receiving area. At least one strap is connected to the base and is extendable across the boot receiving area. The at least one strap includes a first section and a second section that are separable to receive and release the boot or foot. The first section includes a toothed surface and the second section includes a buckle having an entrance end, an exit end, a floor along which the first section may travel, and a pawl for engaging the toothed surface. The buckle is mounted to the boot or foot engagement strap through at least one attachment location that is spaced away from the floor of the buckle in a direction of the pawl.